


Of the Fourth of December and Hot Chocolate

by Thegreenofyoureyes



Series: Christmas Fics 2015 [4]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Prompt Fill, Vomit Mention, again (how does this keep happening?), oh lordy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-05 00:39:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5354336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thegreenofyoureyes/pseuds/Thegreenofyoureyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You don't like marshmallows in your hot chocolate who hurt you?</p><p>or Ashton fell into Luke's life, quite literally, and it all just clicks from there</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of the Fourth of December and Hot Chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> You rock @Tanniri on Tumblr I <3 you

Luke only barely saw the stranger fall from across the street. Truthfully, he should have been looking at the time sheets placed on his desk waiting to be read, but he was looking anywhere but. Honestly, the boy was lucky. 

It was a pretty bad fall, Luke thought. Slipping on some invisible ice while running, and falling straight into a snow-covered tree. Painful and cold. Obviously it was Luke’s human duty to go across the street and help him. It had nothing to do with the unfilled sheets he left behind. 

He didn't even bother grabbing his jacket before running out, which he was regretting just a bit as he got to the other side of the street. Perhaps unfortunately, the boy was still laying underneath the tree, covered in snow and looking slightly dazed and slightly pained. Mostly embarrassed though. 

And oh. The boy was aggressively hot. He had curly brown hair and big hazel eyes, with some of the nicest bone structure Luke had ever seen. It wasn't fair, honestly. Luke hadn't meant to volunteer himself as knight in shining armor at all, especially not for someone who looked like that. 

“You alright?” Luke asked, not offering his hand or crouching at all. 

“I don't know? I think so. My back hurts a bit and my ego is bruised, but I think I'm fine. Bit cold though, to be honest,” the stranger replied. And honestly it was just stupid that his voice was hot too. Squeaky? Sure. Pitchy? Definitely. But still hot beyond reason. 

“I can imagine. Any reason you're still lying down?”

“Just felt a bit defeated, you know? And my leg hurts too, I think, so it's kinda hard.”

“ I can understand that. Do you need help getting up?”

“That would be nice, actually. Be careful, though. Don't fall yourself.”

Luke offered the stranger his hand, and the stranger clasped it, pulling himself up. His hands were huge, making the gloves that barely fit look just a bit ridiculous, honestly, and making Luke sweat a bit in spite of the temperature. 

“Oh,” the boy said “you're tall.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Luke replied, laughing. 

“It suits you. I'm Ashton, by the way,” Ashton said, flashing a bright smile and some dimples that may as well have been craters. Good lord. 

“Luke,” Luke offered. 

“Luke. Means light, right? That suits you as well,” Ashton replied. And that was flirting, right? Except, hot boys don't just fall into your life like that. Especially hot boys that think boys can be hot.

Upon getting no response from Luke, Ashton said “well, I'll be seeing you, I suppose. Thanks for pulling me up,” and he was walking away with a slight limp that honestly shouldn't have made Luke as sad as it did. 

Luke was about to let Ashton go, limp out of his life and back into whatever heavenly dimension he came from, but he couldn't stop the “hey!” From falling from his lips, and he absolutely couldn't stop himself from saying “you're still, like limping, and all, and I imagine your clothes are pretty soaked so you must be cold. Do you wanna come to my apartment for a bit and wait until things… suck less? I just live across the street.”

Ashton seemed to consider it for a second before limping back to Luke, a bright smile present in his eyes. 

“That would be really awesome, actually. Thank you for being so nice. I actually just moved to Ely from California so it's nice to talk to someone at all, let alone someone nice. Although, I suppose all Minnesotans are nice, they're just not often… My age?Or, like, engaging on top of nice,” he said, looking up at Luke expectantly. 

“Yeah, I get that. Small Midwest towns have a tendency to be full of middle aged people and their families, not so much college students. Old people too, actually. But I understand what you mean. What brought you to Ely, then, eh? Was California just too beautiful?” Luke replied playfully, looping an arm around Ashton’s waist without asking, and helping the shorter boy into his apartment. 

“No, actually. I mean, not to get too deep with a complete stranger, but life just wasn't good there. I was having a hard time, you know, mentally and, like, financially, so I just kinda had to leave. I wasn't gonna make it if I stayed.”

“That makes sense, I think. Ely though?”

“Yeah, I came up here once over the summer with my grandparents. They own a cabin on Burntside lake? And I just loved it. Everything just seemed so peaceful, and everyone is nice. I needed a place like that. And, like, I'm good with manual labor so I work on the lake for the lodge fixing people's boats and cabins and such. And I tend the Lodge’s bar at night, too, actually.”

“Why're you running down here, then?” Luke asked, unlocking the door. 

“Oh, I was out getting groceries, and I saw that the sidewalks were shoveled. Not as common up by the lake, so I took advantage of it. I use a treadmill at home, and I've been going a little bit batty. I mean, I ski on the lake for work, and that's awesome, but you just need to run, you know?”

“Honestly I don't. I know a guy you'd get on well with, though. He works at Pamidas. Actually, maybe you know him? Small town and all. His name is Calum: black hair, brown eyes?”

“You know, I have seen him, I think. He seems sweet. Squishy.”

“That is a good word for him! Here, you can just lay down on that couch. Do you want hot chocolate?” Ashton grunted a bit as he sat down, but smiled in the affirmative. 

Luke went into his little pastel kitchen, and began preparing the drink and humming softly. He got out his best mugs and even his little stale marshmallows in the back of his cupboard. Honestly, Ashton shouldn't be having the effect he did, but Luke didn't care. The boy was cute, and sweet, and Luke caught the eyes on his (admittedly small) ass as he walked out the room. It was an occasion for celebration.

Naturally, he didn't expect the crestfallen face that Ashton shot at him. The shorter did a good job hiding it, smiling a bright, albeit fake, smile and scooting up on the couch. He accepted the hot chocolate, along with the ice pack Luke had brought out, graciously. 

“So why're you in Ely, then? Did you grow up here?” Ashton asked, not sipping from the cup even after he'd positioned the ice pack along his ankle. 

“Duluth, actually. Just a bit away from here. And I left for kinda the same reason you did, actually. Just couldn't take how bleak everything was. So I left school, and moved up here. It's not glamorous, but it's a beautiful place and it feels like home. And Duluth didn't. I mean my family is there, and I love them, but life there just didn't feel real, I guess. And it does here. But this is probably a bit too much given that the only thing I know about you is you like running, your name is Ashton, and apparently you don't like hot chocolate.”

“No, I'm sorry. It's just. I don't like marshmallows? And you've been so nice to me but eating them makes me feel like throwing up, and I'd really rather not do that in the presence of a hot guy with a rainbow flag hanging in his living room,” Ashton replied, and Luke learned that there is a very fine line between bashful and flirting. 

“Actually, I appreciate that. I'd feel bad if I made a hot guy vomit, regardless of rainbow flags. Good observation though,” Luke replied. 

“Believe me, I was hoping. You with anyone or did I just make this awkward?”

“No, no I'm not with anyone. Although I'm not entirely sure I could be with someone who doesn't like marshmallows in their hot chocolate. Who hurt you?” And yeah, this was no-breaks flirting. It felt good. 

“They hurt me! They're too goddamn sweet and the texture is probably what devil-come would feel like. I actually don't believe anyone really likes them, they just say they do.”

“Excuse you, I like them! Obviously! You know   
I've been saving these for a special occasion and now I've wasted them on someone who doesn't even like them!”

Luke was almost scared of the glint that appeared in Ashton’s eyes. Almost. 

“Oh no! Let me make it up to you?” He said, with a wink. 

“How?”

“Do you know where Burntside Lodge is?” Ashton asked, waiting until Luke nodded “come by tomorrow night at, like 7. PM, to be clear. We close early on weekends in the winter so we won't have to deal with other people. I'll make you dinner, and hot chocolate, real hot chocolate, with baileys in it instead of marshmallows. Teach you what good is.”

“In more ways than one, I hope,” Luke replied, and the blush that set in on his cheeks was matched perfectly by Ashton’s “but yeah, actually, that'd be great. I'll be there. God, I haven't been on a date since I was still at the U.”

“I can imagine. Pretty small market of guys here, huh?”

“Oh for sure, especially guys that seem really, genuinely amazing.”

“Can I get your number, actually? Just for touching base and whatnot.”

Luke handed Ashton his phone, watching him punch the small numbers with an almost comedic amount of difficulty. Afterwards, they talked until nearly dark, until Ashton felt like he could walk on his leg again well enough to go home. He hugged Luke on the way out, and he smelled really, genuinely like pine. Not like pine-scented cologne, like real pine. He loved it. 

Ashton was a great guy, turns out. They agreed politically, as well as on music and movies. He was also, genuinely, just really fun to be around. He had even said that falling was all worth it. Luke thought so as well, and was honestly angry at himself for even considering not helping him. It was one of the greatest things he had ever done. 

December 4th, Luke decided, was one of the best days of the year.

**Author's Note:**

> Burntside Lodge on Burntside Lake is actually not open in the winter but I just love the Lodge, and Ely in general, so much that I had to use them. Day four is done!


End file.
